I had done one of these summaries awhile back when BJ Penn's book came out. I figured since I got a fairly positive response from that one I'd go ahead and give Frank's the same treatment. Chapter 1 to follow....

Frank’s mom was a hippie/flower child that grew up in a strict family of Jehovah’s Witnesses, where she eventually met Frank’s father Frank Alicio Juarez II. Frank Alicio Juarez III (Shamrock) was born 9/18/72. Frank II left the family of 4 children and their mother roughly a year after Frank III was born.

Frank indicates he was a very happy kid, perhaps a tad socially awkward, but also smart enough to skip past kindergarten right into first grade.

Frank’s mom met Joe a strict, violent, racist, abusive, alcoholic, and disciplinarian. He’d often lock Frank in a bedroom closet while the rest of the family did something like eat dinner or watch a movie. Frank eventually started acting out by stealing and shoplifting, and just generally getting in to trouble. He was often punished by being ordered to stay/sleep in the garage.

He eventually found out about sex and started messing around/experimenting with his sister Robynn and stepsister Michelle. He didn’t recall anything weird about it at the time, but was more so curious and the family never bothered to talk about sex due to their religious upbringing. At one point Frank got busted beating off in the garage by Joe who laid into him with a variety of racist names and then banned him from the house and garage, and made Frank sleep in the backyard under a tarp.

Frank eventually became really interested in drinking and he would often steal it any chance he could. Joe eventually forced him to stay in the shed out back, where Frank took to huffing gas and smoking pot with the neighbor. Frank and the neighbor later got picked up by the police for throwing rocks at trains that would pass by.

At one point in middle school Frank got busted for pulling a knife out on a kid that was threatening him. He was placed into an all day detention, where he focused on his school work. He said did so much work, so well that he skipped 8th grade and went directly into 9th grade.

Frank’s mother eventually grew tired of all the trouble he constantly caused and sent him to live with his biological father Frank II. Frank indicated that his dad was gone a lot but he enjoyed the time he spent there with his grandparents. Unfortunately, he was sent back to live with his mom and Joe after a couple of months.

Shortly after upon returning home, Frank pulled a knife on his little sister Suzy. He was sent to live at a boys and girls crisis center for troubled children. He said he felt safe there and opened up to the counselors about his home life. Frank met a girl at the center that he liked so they decided to run away but they didn’t really have anywhere to stay, so they basically ended up homeless. He was picked up for stealing liquor and food from a local store. But instead of being sent back to the crisis center he was taken to a juvenile hall and sentenced to stay.

Before Frank Shamrock became known professionally as “The Legend”—winning almost every mixed martial arts title in existence—he endured a childhood marred with abuse, neglect, and molestation that led to an equally troubled young adulthood. This riveting book tells his whole story: his neglect as a child by his hippie mother and absentee father, his salvation under the foster father who took him in when no one else would, his desperate act of armed robbery and subsequent incarceration in state prison, and his eventual rebirth as a cage fighter who would go on to dominate the entire sport for the next two decades. Detailing his fights inside and outside of the ring, it discusses the people and events that enabled him to become a champion as well as his problems with the Ultimate Fighting Championship and the reasons behind his retirement. With eye-opening depictions of the world of mixed martial arts fighters and refreshing candor, this thrilling story of sex, violence, crime, and redemption reveals the numerous pitfalls a famous fighter encountered in his life and how he successfully overcame them to become a champion in every sense of the word,

Frank spent a lot of timed being interviewed at the juvenile detention center. He flat out told them he didn’t want to go home and they seemed to understand in light of what he had been going through.

It was at the JDC that Frank found out he was Mexican and that there seemed to be some type of hierarchy based upon race. This didn’t seem to bother him at all because he actually felt safe at the JDC. He was also regularly fed and had plenty of books to read.

After awhile, the JDC suggested Frank become a ward of the state. Though he didn’t really understand what that meant, he found satisfaction in the decision because it was solely his decision, which was a change from the controlling environment he had left.

Frank was eventually placed with a Christian Scientist family, a contrast to his JW up brining, so he spent a lot of time reading books about it. He still got in trouble, but instead of being sent off somewhere, he had to do yard work.

Thursday evenings at the CS family’s house was boxing night. So the boy would put gloves and box. Most them typically were playful, but one particular took it very seriously and was quite good/technical. Frank got his ass beat by the boy and felt humiliated.

Frank eventually did something bad enough again that got him sent back to the JDC, this time he was assigned to a higher security section of the facility. He got placed at home that adhered to the higher security rules, which included checking him into school and checking him out.

During this time Frank came up with a plan along with the other boys to rob the foster parents and steal their van and head up to Sacramento. The van ran out of gas and while looking for someone to mug for gas money, they got picked up by the police, and Frank was sent to the huge state JDC in Sacramento.

At 12 years old he had been sentenced to 4 months. He mom came to visit him once, though he was sure why, he thought perhaps to check on him or tell him good bye one last time. He seemed quite affected by his mom’s absence, because he really loved her and his siblings, but he knew he could never move back home.

At this point, he had created so much trouble that foster homes and the like were no longer an option for him. He would have to be interviewed to be placed in a camp or ranch. Bob Shamrock was one of the ranch leaders that ended up interviewing him. Frank was quite impressed with Bob’s appearance and demeanor, probably because he didn’t buy Frank’s bullshit, and he eventually got placed in his home.

Bob, who always seemed dressed will according to Frank, came to pick him up in 1 of his 3 Cadillac’s and took him to the huge sprawling ranch. Bob and his staff lived at the ranch which housed about 20 boys. Boys were grouped in 2s and 4s and given rooms to sleep in. There was a central dining area that all the boys would meet at to eat meals.

Frank hadn’t quite turned 13 by the time he got to the ranch, and he was by far the youngest boy there. He felt intimated by the much larger 17 and 18 year olds, who drove and had jobs, but Bob put him at ease and made him feel comfortable. Bob’s mantra was work hard, play hard, and have fun, but he ran a tight ship and was very strict.

Frank liked that Bob was very straight forward and you knew where you stood with him. If you slipped up the punishment would fit the crime. If you were picked on one of the older boys would intervene because Bob wanted everyone to feel like they were part of his family. If the talking to didn’t help an informal boxing match would be set up in the living room to solve things. Once it was over the boys made up and moved on.

Frank felt loved in that environment and he really respected and appreciated Bob for that. It was a contrast to his time with his mom and Joe. In spite of this, Frank still drank and smoked pot and often found himself on Bob’s road crew cleaning up the city with some of the other boys who couldn’t avoid trouble. One of the counselor’s on the grounds took to Frank and would buy him booze and weed and then perform oral sex on him.

Frank enjoyed participating in various sports at school, but often would end up getting kick off the teams, sometimes unrightfully so. In high school he met a girl, Christy, who he ended up getting pregnant. Around age 16, he ended up stealing another car and got picked up by the police. By this time, there wasn’t much Bob and his reputation could do to save Frank. He was sentenced to 4 months.

Shortly after his son Frankie was born, he had made plans with Christy to serve his time and then marry her. This gave Frank a goal and an objective. His pledge was short lived though because he ended up causing sort of a mini riot at a local casino that led to him get arrested again. He did end up marrying Christy, but he quickly went back to his old ways of stealing, drinking, and taking drugs. One of his binges led to him hitting her, so she left with Frankie. He finally ended up in jail for robbery.

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